Posted by Roy Mlakar on November 11, 2008

Newcomer Alex Auld is off to a fast start between the pipes for the Sens and, according to general manager Bryan Murray, that is "healthy" for the organization. "Especially when both goalies are class acts and play for the team and not themselves," Murray added.

Going into tonight's game against the Montreal Canadiens, Auld has a 5-2-1 record and leads the NHL with a 1.84 goals-against average. His save percentage, an outstanding .936, is currently second-best in the league.

Bryan should know all about Auld. When he was general manager of the Florida Panthers, Murray made Auld his second selection in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. Auld has since played for five teams, with his best year coming in Vancouver in 2005-06, when he won 33 games and posted a 2.94 goals-against average.

With Auld and Martin Gerber on hand, Murray likes the goaltending tandem he now has in place.

"Our players have always liked Martin (Gerber)," said Murray. "Marty comes to work every day, trains very hard and is a battler. Both guys get along so well and to date, complement one another."

Gerber, who won the No. 1 job early last season and guided the team to its red-hot start (tops in NHL after 20 games with a 16-4-0 record), lost a 2-1 heartbreaker last Friday night at Carolina.

The good news is, everyone has confidence regardless of who gets the nod in net and that certainly is a good thing!

Posted by Roy Mlakar on October 17, 2008

After playing only three games in the last 16 days, the NHL schedule starts to heats up again for the Sens with back-to-back games tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes and tomorrow against the Boston Bruins, both at Scotiabank Place. 

Since coming back from Sweden, the team has played only once in North America, while most other NHL clubs have played five or six tilts already. The reason for this is a lesson we learned from the Anaheim Ducks, who last year came back from London after playing the rival L.A. Kings twice to open the 2007-08 season and played three games in the midwest. 

"We thought it was a great plan to play Columbus, Detroit and Chicago before going home to Anaheim," said Ducks GM Brian Burke. "It proved a mistake as our club was dead tired and with the time change, we ended up losing all three games. The experience was great and we enjoyed playing in Europe but I would suggest when you come back, to take at least five days to acclimated to North America again with the time change."

Nobody enjoyed the Senators' European experience more than captain Daniel Alfredsson, a native of Goteborg, Sweden. The trip included an exhibition game in his hometown.

"It was great going home to play," said Alfredsson. "It was especially exciting for me to play at home in Goteborg and against my old team, the Frolunda Indians. The crowd was awesome and it was truly a memory I will remember for a lifetime."

After returning home, the Sens were granted five days off by the NHL until the Oct. 11 home-opener against the Red Wings. Now the team will play seven games in a 13-day period to end the rest of October. With four home games among those seven contests, the Sens Army will get familiar with new coach Craig Hartsburg and his troops on a much more regular basis. 

Posted by Roy Mlakar on September 26, 2008

The new NHL season gets underway Saturday (Oct. 4) from Stockholm, where our Sens meet the rival Pittsburgh Penguins at 2:30 p.m. Ottawa time (CBC national broadcast)  Anytime the NHL asks your team to perform overseas, the organization certainly is proud to represent the league in such a prestigious international forum.

To think that our captain, Daniel Alfredsson, a Swedish icon, will get a chance to play his old teammates, the Frolunda Indians, in his hometown of Gothenburg on Thursday (Oct. 2) will be even more of a bonus for Daniel and his family. That game will be carried live, as will all of the 2008-09 action on the Team 1200, with Dean Brown and Gord Wilson back again, just as they have been calling all the action since Day 1 of the modern Senators franchise.

So sit back and turn on the action as it will surely be a spectacle in Europe. The game with Frolunda sold out in 16 quick minutes and the back-to-back contests vs. the Penguins in less than two hours. One thing is for sure, it will be exciting!

Posted by Roy Mlakar on July 18, 2008

For the first time in a number of years, the Senators have a very balanced (by month) schedule for the 2008-09 season. The Home vs. Road breakdown looks like this:

* indicates one game home, one game road both in Stockholm, Sweden to start the season

About the Senators' season-opening games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in Stockholm, GM Bryan Murray said "any time you're selected to represent the league in a foreign country, it's an honour."

"It will be especially fun for me and my family,"  added captain Daniel Alfredsson.
    
The Sens will play a pre-season "exhibition" game against Alfie's old Swedish team, the Frolunda Indians, in Gothenburg on Oct. 2 prior to the two games vs. the Penguins in Stockholm on Oct 4 and 5.  Both games will be broadcast back to Ottawa with further details to be released at a later date.
    
Another highlight of the new schedule is the arrival of the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings for the home-opener here at Scotiabank Place on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.  If it is anything like last season's much-publicized battle in January, it will certainly not disappoint. One can hardly wait. 

Season tickets are the best way to make sure you're part of all the action and they're available now at a significant discounted from gate prices. Call 613-599-0200 and ask to speak to one of our season ticket representatives today!

Posted by Roy Mlakar on July 7, 2008

This summer, starting on July 21 and running through to Aug. 29, the Bell Sensplex will be the home of the annual Ottawa Senators Summer Hockey Camps. During a total of six one-week sessions, boys and girls ages 5 to 16 will be coached by a quality lineup of hockey instructors. Special guests from your Ottawa Senators will be featured each week.

Already confirmed to make an appearance are:

Week One: July 21-25 - On Tuesday of this week, it will be defenceman Anton Volchenkov and Ilya Zubov, a top rookie from a year ago.

Week Two: July 28-Aug. 1 - Chris Kelly will be at the camp.

Week Three: Aug. 5-8 - Chris Phillips will skate with the youngsters on Wednesday.

Week Four: Aug. 11-15 - Shean Donovan will be on hand.

Week Five:  Aug. 18-22 - On Tuesday of this week, Chris Neil will be the guest instructor.

Week Six:  August 25-29 - Shean Donovan will be back on Tuesday.

The camp is filling up quite quickly, so my advice is to call Matthew Bennett at (613) 599-0132 and register right away. Other fun events off the ice include team building activities, progressive puck control, soccer and more. 

Registration fees start as low as $199 for selected camps for ages 5 and up (and only $83 for the little ones ages 3 to 6 who do not take part in the off-ice activities). 

Enjoy your Sens at the camp!

Posted by Roy Mlakar on May 22, 2008

While NHL commissioner Gary Bettman can't pick who will compete in the final for the coveted Stanley Cup, he has to be pleased with this matchup. With U.S. television ratings rising both on Versus and NBC, these two teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings, come from long-time traditional hockey markets that have enjoyed significant success in the last 10-15 years.

The Red Wings, who have long owned the moniker "Hockey Town USA," have a veteran cast of players who are not strangers to the final. Certainly led by Nicklas Lidstrom, clearly the best defenceman in the NHL again, this team is quick and a great transition squad. Chris Osgood has been very sharp in goal in relief of former Senator Dominik Hasek. Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom have been dangerous in all three previous series. The best news is that the playoffs' leading goal scorer, "The Mule" Johan Franzen, is skating and could return in the series. 

Most everyone in our nation's capital is well aware of the Penguins' firepower and speed to burn. They are led by the obvious stars, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, while ex-Sen Marian Hossa has been a key contributor to their current 12-2 record going into this Cup final. Their offence has also been bolstered by power forward Ryan Malone. And, while their defence has been criticized in the past, they have played extremely well, especially big Hal Gill, who has stepped up his game. Finally, goaltender Marc-André Fleury has been stellar in all three series and seems not to be rattled under the stressful situations.

A "dream matchup" for sure. This one could easily go seven games, unless the veterans of the Red Wings prove just too experienced for the youthful Pens. Enjoy it!

Posted by Roy Mlakar on April 28, 2008

For hockey fans, this is the most exciting time of the year, especially if your team is still playing for the coveted Stanley Cup. Pittsburgh is alive again like it was in the days of Mario Lemieux and a young Jaromir Jagr in the early '90s. Pens sweaters are everywhere and the downtown there is electric.

The New York Rangers are back to being the talk of the "Big Apple." Madison Square Garden is electrifying again and thoughts of a run to the Cup that last was held by Mark Messier in 1994. With the super pest Sean Avery, solid goaltending by Henrik Lundqvist and vets like Jagr, Brendan Shanahan and Martin Straka, they have the firepower, especially with Scott Gomez and Chris Drury added to the list.

Montreal and Philly have quite the series going, with each team showing great resilience and taking turns exposing opposing netminders in the battle. Both buildings are crazy with excitement and notable "tough barns" for the opposition under the best of circumstances.

Now in the West, Dallas has proven to be the hottest team of all in the post-season. Not only did they beat the defending champion Ducks in rapid fashion, they have taken both home games in San Jose to have an early 2-0 lead in that series.

Finally, the high-flying Wings have used home-ice advantage to their liking by taking a 2-0 lead over the injury riddled Avalanche. Peter Forsberg has yet to make an appearance and they have bumps and bruises to their back line that have exposed them to the speed of the Red Wings.

Enjoy the next several weeks, as at this point any of the eight teams still alive has a chance. Or in reality, do they? You make the call!

Posted by Roy Mlakar on April 14, 2008

As we approach the "home-ice advantage" for Games 3 and 4 vs. the Penguins, one has to look no further than the "Red Mile" and the advantage the Calgary Flames got from their great home audience in Game 3 at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Sunday night.

The Flames came out of the tunnel to a huge "Sea of Red" and a thunderous ovation by their faithful.  Then Calgary quickly spotted the favoured Sharks a three-goal lead, chasing netminder Miikka Kiprusoff, who had been stellar all year long. What did the Flames faithful do? They gave their club a huge ovation, urging them on. "Our coach, Mike Keenan, told me the crowd was critical to the win," commented Flames president Ken King.  "If anybody ever thought the crowd as a seventh man was a cliché, forget about It. They are your most important assets." 

"Our crowd has been great in the playoffs traditionally," said captain Daniel Alfredsson.  "Scotiabank Place is a great place to play and our run last year was so exciting." NOW is certainly the time for the fans to help... Remember BE Loud, BE Proud, This is YOUR TEAM!

And enjoy the outdoor activities at SBP.

Posted by Roy Mlakar on March 20, 2008

While all eyes in the U.S. usually turn to the NCAA Basketball Tournament at this time of year, hockey fans have their own “tourney” to follow with most teams having only 10 or fewer games to play in the NHL season. The battle in both the Eastern and Western Conference has more than 10 teams still within striking range of a playoff berth.

Commissioner Gary Bettman, who now hosts a daily radio show afternoons on XM satellite radio (channel 204), said last week the “competitive balance” in the NHL has added much more significance to the regular season and has increased fan interest across North America. Mr. Bettman also takes phone calls from fans across the continent and provides candid and up-front answers to just about any question posed to him. It's a good listen, especially during our own “March Madness” in the NHL.

But don't think hockey players don’t pay attention to the hoops madness, as I am sure “brackets” are popular in most dressing rooms. But come on Dany Heatley, did you really pick Wisconsin to win it all in basketball? Oh, that just has to be a sentimental alumni pick.

I hope, anyway!

Posted by Roy Mlakar on February 26, 2008

Funny how things go full circle in this business.  General Manager Bryan Murray dug back into his past to bring a proven winner , Martin Lapointe, in for the stretch drive and to add playoff experience at the trading deadline. It was Murray who drafted Martin when he was GM  of the Red Wings in 1991 coming out of Laval of the QMJHL.

Getting the 5"11, 210-lb., 37 year old veteran right-winger,  who has experienced winning a Cup as well as being a  captain, was important for Murray. "I have always respected what Marty brings to the team on and off the ice,"  said Bryan.  "He is a leader, works very hard, has grit in his game and will help us for sure," added the Senators' GM.

Nine times, Lapointe has scored double-digit goals in a season with his high being 27 in 2000. After nine seasons as a Red Wing and three as a Bruin, Martin spent the last two seasons with Chicago,  part of which as Captain of the Blackhawks.  That accomplishment, in addition to the fact he celebrated multiple Cups in Detroit , could be just the right addition now come "crunch time."